I recently learned about dysthymia - basically a form of long-term functioning depression. Idk why I’d never heard about it before, but it for sure resonates with my experience.
Apparently, we should be able to get ~50/50 external/internal validation. For example, most healthy people can apparently do chores or something and get an internal sense of accomplishment that supports the external validation that is having completed chores.
The problem is, for some folks (hi there) we can’t really put up the internal validation part. Like, I’d be expecting the completed chores to make me happy, but that’s just not how it works. I need to be active in validating myself and saying something like, “good job dude!”
That shit is hard - especially if it’s like the total opposite of what you heard growing up.
Basically. I think of it as allow yourself to get that dopamine hit, instead of doing what I do which is probably like think you should’ve done it already or see how easy that was, why didn’t you do it sooner. Fuck all that. Say good shit bro! Turned out sick
Then hopefully you can make it a habit/ritual and actually make it feel natural or even funish.
Not there yet at all myself